Global
Georgia Plans $200 Million Rail Link to Anaklia Port With World Bank Backing
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Georgia is moving to connect its planned Black Sea deep-water port to the national rail network. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced on October 9 a rail line of about 18 kilometres to Anaklia port at an estimated cost of $200 million, with World Bank support expected and a construction tender due by the end of October, according to OC Media.
Kobakhidze's remarks were reported in paraphrase. He also credited wider reforms at Georgian Railway with savings of GEL 190 million, about $73 million.
The port itself has changed shape. China officially withdrew from the Anaklia Deep Sea Port project in July. The state now owns the core port infrastructure, with private firms to operate the terminals, a model designed to reduce the financing and political risk that derailed earlier attempts.
The rail link matters because a port without a high-capacity landside connection cannot handle Middle Corridor volumes. Kobakhidze told Imedi TV this month that cargo turnover along the corridor has grown sevenfold since 2020 and that Georgia expects its highway network to be completed by 2031, with possible expansion at both Anaklia and Poti and upgrades to railways and aviation, as reported by Azernews.
For investors and logistics operators, three points stand out. First, World Bank involvement typically brings procurement discipline and a financing anchor that private lenders often require. Second, a tender by the end of October would be a quick timeline for a greenfield rail project of this size, so slippage is a realistic risk. Third, terminal operators have yet to be confirmed in the information available, so the commercial case for throughput remains unproven.
The project also sits in a competitive context. Alternative routes, including the US-backed TRIPP corridor through Armenia, are being developed, although Georgia's leadership argues they are complementary rather than rival. Georgia's economy is growing at about 6-8% this year, with construction a drag in August, so public infrastructure spending is also a macro support.
The test will be whether the tender draws credible bidders on schedule and whether the port's terminal concessions follow. If both happen, Anaklia moves from a long-delayed concept to a financed logistics node on the Black Sea.
